General Tips « An Extra Hour Every Day

Dec

14

Remove temptation when changing habits

by Nicolas

We often find it very hard changing habits. After an initial period of success driven by high motivation in the beginning we then fall back into the old traps. A major source for failure is to keep the old temptations around to be used in a moment of weakness. The first step in changing a habit therefore has to be the removal of temptations. It is also important to understand that removal does not mean to hide things but to make it close to impossible to get them back in a spontaneous moment. Let me share a few examples with you:

1) If you spend too much time watching TV

Unsubscribe your cable subscription as well as the TV magazine. You can even go as far as to sell your TV or bring it to a friend’s house until you feel ready to control your TV consumption.

2) If you spend too much time on computer games

Delete all games on your computer (don’t forget to empty the trash bin), dispose the installation media and if you play on a console - sell the game console and the games.

3) If you want to stop smoking

Dispose all cigarettes you have as well as all related equipment such as ashtrays, lighters, etc.

4) Spend less money

Get rid of your credit card for a while. If you don’t want to return it to your bank you can deposit it at a family members’ home. Another possibility is to only withdraw a certain amount of cash per week and to also deposit your bank cards at someone else’s place.

5) ???

I think that this list can become endless. But I would be interested in knowing how you got rid of temptations when you where trying to change a habit. Making this list longer might help many other readers to overcome their bad habits.

Related articles:

Share and Enjoy:

Comments: (1)

Dec

11

Have a special folder for temporary bookmarks

by Nicolas

If you don’t organize your Internet bookmarks you soon will have a jungle in your browser making it difficult to manage. On one hand you have the links of websites you visit regularly, which you should organize in a proper folder hierarchy. But on the other hand there also are many links we just save spontaneously because we find them interesting and might want to come back.

I propose having a folder in your browser called “temporary” or “delete me” to bookmark such URLs. It is a folder which you review from time to time and then decide if you delete, keep or move the bookmark to your folders with regularly used websites.

Related articles:

Share and Enjoy:

Comments: (4)

Dec

10

Get important matters done early

by Nicolas

Check your to do list and start the day working on the two or three most important topics. Complete them before you start anything else. You will feel much better for the rest of the day and any other task coming later will feel much easier. In the ideal case you get up early in the morning and have a working session for these important items uninterrupted before others come in to the office.

Related articles:

Share and Enjoy:

Comments: (0)

Dec

03

Stop interrupting yourself

by Nicolas

When talking about interruptions we usually talk about other people or external factors. However, we sometimes voluntarily interrupt ourselves. You interrupt yourself when you:

Walk around the office without a clear goal
Often have a chat with colleagues in order to better know them
Go out frequently for a coffee or snack
Suddenly make unplanned phone calls for networking
Suddenly have to check something on the Internet

If you recognize yourself here I recommend keeping a log of these interruptions for a few weeks. In the ideal case you also write down what you should have been doing during this time, since these interruptions could also closely be linked to procrastination.

When your analysis is complete you can start working on changing these bad habits, which significantly reduce your productivity.

Comments: (0)

Nov

20

Set a time frame for tasks you procrastinate

by Nicolas

Define a minimum time during which you are going to work on a large but unpleasant task. During this time frame you are not allowed to move out of your chair, make a call, surf the net, etc. You only focus on this one task.

Even if you cannot complete it in one time, this approach makes sure that you can make major progress. After a few sessions the task will not look that terrible anymore and you change to a more positive attitude towards this task.

Related articles:

Share and Enjoy:

Comments: (1)

Nov

18

Create a routine to save time in the morning

by Nicolas

A good morning routine can already save a lot of time in the beginning of the day so that you start with calm and positive feelings. A good start is the basis for a powerful and dynamic day to get a lot of things done.

1) What you can prepare in the evening before:

Lay the table in the evening and already prepare everything which is not compromising on the freshness of your food.
Choose and prepare your wardrobe in advance and also check the weather forecast.
Prepare documents you will need for the day and put them at a convenient place.

2) Getting up early:

Get up at the same time every day. You body will get used to it and it is going to become easy since your internal clock will adjust.

3) Breakfast:

Have a breakfast! All medical study shows that it is important to fuel your body in the morning so that you have sufficient energy for the rest of the day. Take something that gives you power but which is light enough to keep you spinning.

4) Kids:

Even small children can actively contribute to the morning routine. Depending on their age they can help preparing breakfast and also put on their clothes on their own.

5) First work or fitness session:

I know many people who do a first work session early in the morning before going to office. Especially in global businesses where emails come in 24 hours a day, an early bird routine cleaning up your inbox is very useful. After the first cleaning of the mailbox you plan your day also taking into consideration items that came in via email over night. Other people go running early in the morning and report this as a great energizer for the day.

Related articles:

Share and Enjoy:

Comments: (1)

Nov

17

Delegate tasks you don’t like

by Nicolas

Instead of procrastinating did you ever consider delegating some tasks you do not like to colleagues or to a vendor? Of course this strategy does not always work but another person eventually does not regard this task as unpleasing.

Related articles:

Share and Enjoy:

Comments: (1)

Nov

16

Save time by planning your TV consumption

by Nicolas

One of the main sources for procrastination and wasted time is the TV. The purpose of the TV is to provide us information and to entertain us. Both can be done at specific times with specific programs.

Don’t run the TV in the background. Chances are high that suddenly find something interesting and stick to it.
Don’t flip through the channels without a clear target. If you are not looking for something specific switch the TV off.
Consider renting movies rather than watching them on TV channels with advertisement breaks. In total you spend less time to watch the movie and you benefit from uninterrupted entertainment.
It might sound a bit old-fashioned but the radio also is an excellent source of information. It is easier to listen to the radio than watching TV when doing something else at the same time (e.g. in the morning in the bathroom).
Consider using alternative sources for information on the Internet or through your mobile phone.

I am not against TV in general. It is about the right balance. Consider how many hours you spend in front of the TV in your life and how many of your dreams could be true now already had you been working on them instead.

Related articles:

Share and Enjoy:

Comments: (1)

Nov

14

Improve your mental arithmetic

by Nicolas

When is the last time you did some mental arithmetic training - at school? In the digital age computers and calculators are doing all the maths for us creating a generation of mental arithmetic illiterates.

However, we often need to make a quick calculation at work or on the road without having the necessary equipment at our hands. Besides, using the calculator always requires more time than doing the maths in your brain - if, yes if you are used to it.

I know that it is very painful but we need to train our brains regularly to maintain certain skills. I therefore recommend training mental arithmetic skills regularly to keep the small grey cells in good shape. There are a lot of sites on the Internet offering games, so that this training can be some kind of fun.

Here is one of my favored ones: brain training puzzles

Related articles:

Share and Enjoy:

Comments: (2)

Nov

13

Read one book per week

by Nicolas

New knowledge is being created at the fastest speed in history of human mankind leading to world of fast and sometimes unexpected change. Although it is impossible for one person to cope with the generation of new knowledge and although the information age overwhelms us with knowledge at our finger tips, lifelong learning is mandatory in order not to fall behind.

Despite the offers on the Internet books still remain a major source of knowledge acquisition. I recommend making reading a habit, so that you constantly update and improve your knowledge.